Principal District and Sessions Judge and President of the District Legal Services Authority, Hosamani Pundalik, emphasised the responsibility of part-time legal volunteers to provide legal information to the needy and marginalised sections of society.
He was speaking after inaugurating a four-day training workshop for part-time legal volunteers at the Madikeri District Court premises. The programme was organised jointly by the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority, District Legal Services Authority, Outla India, and the Madikeri Bar Association.
Judge Pundalik stated that legal volunteers must assist citizens who are unaware of their rights and ensure access to legal remedies. He underlined the importance of adherence to constitutional law and highlighted that awareness of legal rights helps individuals lead responsible lives without causing harm to others.
Madikeri Bar Association President C.T. Joseph said volunteers should coordinate with the Legal Services Authority to effectively disseminate legal awareness. Senior advocate K.P. Balasubrahmanyam noted that even basic legal knowledge enables individuals to act responsibly within society.
Shubha, Member Secretary of the District Legal Services Authority and Senior Civil Judge, informed that 97 part-time legal volunteers are registered in the district, with over 70 participating in the workshop.
Advocate M.A. Nirjan delivered a session on family laws, while I Additional District and Sessions Judge G. Surendra spoke on the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Representatives of Outla India addressed participants on legal awareness initiatives.
Family Court Chief Judge C.K. Basavaraj, Senior Civil Judge and CJM C. Veerabhadraiah, Chief Civil Judge and JMFC D.S. Vinuta, trainers Meemansa Singh, Shama D., Niharika Naidu, Legal Aid Guardian Maimuna, Administrative Assistant Jayappa, and others were present.
